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“We are further away than ever from our rivals. We have made some steps forward, but the other manufacturers have improved more and the gap between the European and Japanese manufacturers is really large", this was the sad and disconsolate picture painted by Fabio Quartararo at the end of the Qatar GP. A snapshot of the delicate moment experienced by Yamaha, which only managed to score 5 points in the first weekend of the year, thanks to an 11th place achieved by the rider from Nice in Sunday's race, after a 12th place in the Sprint. In fact, things went worse for El Diablo's new teammate, Alex Rins, whose adventure with Yamaha began with a 17th and a 16th place.
Results which do not do justice to the efforts made during the winter by the Japanese manufacturer, but which in reality are not that different from the expectations with which Yamaha approached the first round of 2024, after having gained an idea of its potential during the of pre-season tests.
“Fabio did what he could, for the moment. We had already seen what we could do here fifteen days ago during the tests, we saw our level when we did the race simulation. Obviously we are not happy, but we are realistic and objective. We have listed the things to do, but it takes time" commented team manager Massimo Meregalli to Canal+, as reported by our colleagues from Motorsport.com.
Despite having modified its approach to adapt it as much as possible to the European mentality and having strengthened the team with the additions of Massimo Bartolini and Marco Nicotra, the technical director and aerodynamicist from Ducati, the Japanese manufacturer knows it still needs a lot of time to restore enough competitiveness to the M1 to be able to close the gap with the top teams.
“We are making progress, we have improved top speed and aerodynamics, but we must progress further - acknowledged the Italian manager - I am disappointed, yes, but also satisfied, because we did what we could. We collected data, we made progress after the Sprint, where we had a tyre degradation problem. It also happened on Sunday but to a lesser extent. We've changed some things and now we really know what we want to do and where we want to go, but it takes time. We are not magicians. It takes time to get there."
Having mapped out the path to follow, Yamaha is moving forward in small steps, knowing that it has the new concession system on its side and a season just beginning, but in which there are another 20 rounds remaining on its calendar. Time does not seem to be lacking for the Japanese manufacturer, but the truth is that it is a race against time. Above all to hold on to Quartararo, who has already started to test the waters in view of the expiry of his contract and could aspire to a place in Aprilia for 2025.
“Fabio is working well and tries to stay calm. Maybe at the beginning of last year he was very nervous and disappointed, but now he has understood that this is the situation and he accepts it. We are working in the best way possible, in the same direction, and Fabio's work this weekend was good. It's a different way of working" explained Meregalli, who places his trust in the patience and collaboration of the 2021 World Champion: "A few years ago he was just trying to win, now he works with the aim of progressing, gathering as much information as possible and do tests. We have already tried some new things at Mugello and we will do the same at Portimao. The program is quite large and we will have to cover as much of it as possible."
